


someone new

by twenty1p1lots



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Subplots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 02:47:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13538061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twenty1p1lots/pseuds/twenty1p1lots
Summary: It's about as cliche as it sounds. Two boys meet and the rest is history. A story about friendship and love and denial and loneliness and all other sorts of emotions.





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a long time since i've written. i decided to start a new fic instead of continuing my existing ones bc i don't feel like writing smut right now. i want to write something softer, something slower. not sure where this is going, but we'll see together.

Life had always been simple for Josh. The kind of simple where it makes you numb, the world is dull, and you begin to wonder whether or not you’ve really lived lately. The kind where your life seems like the blandest kind of movie, old, black and white, grainy and silent, and you’re simply a spectator who wouldn’t really mind if the movie has a happy ending or whether it ends now or later.

 

Josh had a wonderful family; two parents who loved him, two sisters, a brother. Even a pet fish that he remembered to feed every once in a while. There was nothing traumatic or difficult or horrible about his life. So why did he feel like he was on autopilot?

 

Nothing gave Josh the right to be sad. At worst, he was allowed to feel neutral. But sadness was an emotion that was _caused_ by something. And Josh’s life was great. He was in the school band, on the football team, in two years he would graduate and go to a good college. His family ate dinner together every night, for God’s sake. So what more could any teenager want?

 

No, he couldn’t be sad. Sad was reserved for the death of loved ones or when your favorite book character dies or when your parents get divorced or when your pet fish is belly up in its tank. So maybe this constant, draining emotion that Josh felt wasn’t sadness at all. Maybe it was just a lack of happiness. Did he really have to be one or the other? Sad, or happy?

 

Well, he certainly wasn’t happy. But no one in his privileged situation really had the right to be sad, either. So for the last year or so, Josh decides that he has felt absolutely nothing.

 

What does it take to feel again? Thinking of his future didn’t make Josh scared, it made him bored. He couldn’t understand how years would pass around him and there was nothing he could do to stop them coming. At the very least, he wanted things to be a little more exciting. But he decided that was too much for anyone to ask for when they’ve already been given just enough.

 

Emptiness is something that develops and lingers. And once you’re surrounded by nothing, it’s hard to get anything back at all. Josh’s life had simply become a series of repetition, day after day of the same thing, school and practice and homework and… and nothing. Lying awake at night staring at the ceiling. Sometimes the most exciting part of Josh’s day was watching the things in his room take on different shapes in the dark.

 

This was how it was.

 

And then his story changed, as stories often do. Someone new. A little bit of change, the addition of excitement. This came in the form of a short, skinny boy named Tyler.


	2. chapter 2

The sky was overcast. It was chilly outside, but Josh didn’t mind. Not even when his ears and fingers started to go numb with cold. Maybe he should’ve worn a jacket. He fumbled with his lighter, trying a few times before getting it lit. Inhale, exhale. His lungs were going to hate him someday for this.

 

Josh was leaning against the side of the school. Across from him he could see the main entrance. He saw teachers and students coming and going, and he took care not to be caught smoking.

 

A van pulled into the visitor’s lot, parked. Out of the drivers seat stepped a blonde woman, who went around and opened the passenger side. Her son stepped out. Josh watched the whole thing. He didn’t recognize the boy.

  
As the woman and her son walked towards the front entrance, Josh took notice first of the boy’s stature. Small, short and thin. Short brown hair, fidgeting fingers and bags under his eyes. His clothes were too big on him and he seemed weighed down by his backpack. His mom spoke to him nonstop, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He looked up at the sky, down at the ground, anywhere but her. That’s how his eyes found Josh.

 

Josh felt embarrassed that his eyes were already trained on the boy. He’d been caught staring. But all it was was eye contact, for a brief moment. Enough for Josh to register the boy’s presence and for the boy to register his. A flicker of something small, somewhere in Josh’s chest. A sort of curious intrigue Josh didn’t often feel when seeing new kids. Josh put his cigarette out and went back to class, the image of a tiny brunet carved into his mind.

 

-

 

“I can guess where you were,” Brendon said when Josh returned.

“No you can’t,” replied Josh.

“You smell like cigarette smoke.”

“It’s because my parents smoke.”

“That’s my excuse! You stole my excuse.”

“I’m sorry boys, am I interrupting?” said the teacher in her best strict teacher voice.

Two mumbled apologies from the boys, and back to taking notes on biology.

 

-

 

“I saw some kid,” Josh spoke with his mouth full.

“Some kid?” asked Patrick.

“Yeah,” Josh confirmed.

“And?”

“And… that’s it. I saw some kid.”

Patrick and Pete shared a look. Brendon rolled his eyes.

“There has to be more to the story. What’s so great about this kid?”

Josh shrugged. “Nothing. He’s short.”

Josh tended to tell stories like this, piece by piece until his friends were frustrated with him. He couldn’t help it; it’s just how he spoke.

“And where did you see this kid?” Patrick questioned.

“Outside. Walking in to the main office, with his mom.”

The three other boys at the table blinked expectantly.

“And he looked at me and I looked at him and he was short.”

“How romantic,” Brendon spoke through a smirk.

“Maybe,” Josh said, biting into a carrot.

Josh changed the subject. He wasn’t entirely sure why he brought up the kid in the first place. He just had this kid on his mind and he needed to tell someone about him.

 

-

 

A couple weeks passed. Josh had forgotten about the kid that he saw that day. When math class got particularly boring, Josh went outside and lit a cigarette. He took a few drags in silence, shivering a bit from the sharp January air. The door behind him opened and Josh nearly jumped out of his skin. Surely he was about to get caught and expelled, holy shit –

A boy all but collapsed out of the door, breathing heavily. He noticed Josh and Josh looked at him and ashes from the end of his cigarette fluttered to the ground.

“Hi,” said Josh.

“Hi,” the boy said in response.

The boy was brown haired and short and skinny and his breathing was beginning to steady out.

“Why are you doing that?” asked the boy.

“Doing what?” replied Josh.

“Smoking.”

“It’s none of your business,” Josh said, taking another drag.

“I guess not,” the boy said, fidgeting with a string on his shirt. “Isn’t it bad for you though?”

Josh had to laugh a little bit at that. “Yeah, they say that, don’t they?”

The boy laughed too, a short and awkward sound.

“I should go back,” said the boy.

Josh didn’t want him to. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want him to leave.

“Okay,” said Josh.

The boy gave Josh a little half smile and left. Josh put out his cigarette and walked back in a few minutes later.

He thought about that boy for the rest of the day.


	3. chapter 3

“I saw that kid again yesterday.”

“What kid?” asked Brendon.

“The short one that I saw outside.”

“Oh.”

“Where?” asked Patrick.

“Outside. I was smoking.”

“And what was he doing out there?”

Josh shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”

“Did you get a name?”

Josh shook his head.

“Did you speak to him at all?” asked Pete.

“A bit,” said Josh. “He told me that smoking is bad for me.”

Brendon laughed. “He’s right.”

“I told him it wasn’t any of his business.”

“You probably hurt his feelings.”

“Did not,” said Josh. He really hoped not.

 

-

 

Josh, Brendon, Patrick and Pete liked to toss a football around the school’s field after school sometimes. Just good old guy stuff.

After they were done, the three other boys had left, and Josh went to get his bag from the bleachers.

That’s when he saw that kid again. He was sitting between two rows of bleachers, almost out of sight. He was scribbling into a notepad, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth. Josh walked along the bleachers and sat on the row above him. He startled the boy when he sat down.

The boy gasped and turned around, and then he saw Josh.

“Oh.”

“Hi,” said Josh.

“Hello,” the boy said, immediately returning to his drawing.

“Sorry that I scared you,” Josh said.

“You didn’t,” said the boy. He was lying, clearly.

“Okay,” said Josh. A moment passed. “Why are you out here?”

The boy shrugged. “I like when it’s cold.”

“It’s getting dark,” Josh said.

“The stadium lights will turn on soon.”

“Oh,” said Josh. He never stayed late enough to see the lights turn on. “How often do you sit here and draw?”

“Every once in a while,” the boy said. “It’s peaceful.”  
“Right,” replied Josh. Honestly, he thought it was creepy to sit in the dark and draw.

“Are you gonna tell me your name?” Josh asked the boy.

The boy turned around and looked at Josh. “You never told me yours.”

“Good point,” Josh said, rubbing his hands together for warmth. “Aren’t you cold?” Josh wondered out loud.

“I like when it’s cold,” the boy repeated.

“I’m Josh,” said Josh.

“Okay,” said the boy. He readjusted himself so that he was sitting next to Josh instead of below him. “I’m Tyler.”

“Tyler,” Josh repeated. The name felt nice on his tongue. Josh stuck his hand out to Tyler and Tyler giggled before taking it. Tyler’s hand was tiny and bony and a bit rough.

“I’ve never seen you in school,” Josh observed.

Tyler hesitated, biting his lip. His lip looked bitten to hell. “I’m a part time student right now.”

“How come?”

“I used to be homeschooled.”

“Why?”

Tyler shrugged and picked at his cuticles. The stadium lights flickered on above them and the boy become illuminated under their fluorescent light. Josh could see Tyler in high definition now, the scabs on his lips, his raw and bitten cuticles, the circles under his eyes.

“Are you a junior?” Josh asked. Tyler nodded. “Me too,” said Josh, the slightest smile playing on his lips.

The two boys were silent for several moments.

“I should probably go,” said Tyler.

Josh wanted to tell him to stay.

“Okay,” said Josh. Josh wondered if Tyler was just trying to get away from him. Maybe he didn’t like Josh. Maybe Josh annoyed him.

“See you, Josh,” Tyler smiled as he walked away.

Or maybe he did like Josh.

 

-

 

Josh called Brendon when he got home. He simply couldn’t wait until lunch the next day to tell him about his encounter with the boy, who now had a name.

“I saw that kid again,” Josh said quickly, without so much as a ‘Hello.’

“Woah there, slow down. When? Where?”

“After you guys left. He was sitting on the bleachers drawing.”

“That’s kind of weird.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.”

“So what happened?”

“His name is Tyler.”

“Tyler.”

“Tyler.”

“And?”

“And we talked a little bit. I don’t know. He seems nice.”

“Nice…?”

“Yeah, nice. He said he was homeschooled. He seems like he needs a friend.”

“Well then be his friend.”

“He seems shy. And I’m sort of shy too. That creates a problem.”

“Yeah, I guess it does. You’re a nice guy though. Just talk to him. If he seems lonely he’ll appreciate it.”

 

On Josh’s mind that night was an image of bitten lips.


	4. chapter 4

Josh wanted to see Tyler again, but he didn’t know where to find him. During history, he went outside to have a smoke. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping that the short kid with the brown hair wouldn’t come tumbling out the door like he had just a few weeks ago. Josh waited, and waited. 30 minutes passed and he felt pathetic for waiting for a kid he barely knew. And, just Josh’s luck, he got a detention for skipping class.

 

-

 

“I got a detention,” Josh told his friends.

“Your first one ever,” Brendon said, amazed. “Want me to get one too?”

“Why would I want you to get a detention?”

“So that you aren’t lonely.”

Josh thought over the idea. “Sure, I guess.”

“I’ll skip math. I hate math.”

“Why’d you get a detention?” Patrick asked, one of his headphones hanging out.

“I skipped history.”

“Why?”

Josh shrugged. “It was boring.”

He wouldn’t tell them the real reason. He was hoping to see Tyler, a kid he barely knew, for a reason even he himself wasn’t entirely sure of.

 

-

 

“How’ve you been lately?” Brendon asked during detention.

“What?” Josh thought the question was strange. “I’m fine, why?”

“You’ve been all… spaced out. And now you have your first detention. And you won’t stop talking about some kid.”

Josh sighed. He couldn’t argue with that. “I don’t know. He’s interesting.”

“And probably straight.”

Josh furrowed his eyebrows. “It’s not like that. I don’t even know him.”

“It’s never like that until it is.”

Josh didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to argue with Brendon about his feelings for a kid whose name he’d just learned.

 

-

 

By the time Josh got to his car, it was dark out. He was fumbling with his keys when he heard a small voice.

“Josh.”

Josh nearly had a heart attack. The source of the voice came closer and Josh could make out the figure in the dark.

“Tyler. You scared the shit out of me.”

Tyler seemed worried by that. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.

“It’s alright. What are you doing here?”

“I was just leaving.”

“Do you have a ride?”

Tyler kicked a rock in front of him, hands stuffed in his pockets. “I walk home.”

“How far do you live?” Josh asked, throwing his backpack in the trunk.

“It’s like a 20 minute walk.”

“Tyler, you’ll freeze out here. Your mom lets you walk when it’s this cold?”

“She doesn’t get home until late. She’s a nurse. She thinks I ride the bus home.”

“So you lie to your mom?”

Tyler shrugged, fidgeting all over. He seemed to have a lot of nervous habits, and he had a bit of a problem maintaining eye contact.

“Well why were you here?” Tyler asked.

“Detention,” Josh mumbled, leaning against his car.

“Why?”

“I skipped class.”

“That’s not good.”  
Josh chuckled a bit at that. “No, I guess it’s not.”

“Are you gonna lie to your parents about it?”

“The school notifies them,” Josh sighed. “I’ll face their wrath when I get home.”

“Oh. You’d better go then.”

Josh reached for his door handle, and then hesitated. “Do you want a ride home?”

Tyler was silent for a moment, considering, staring at the gravel beneath his feet, chewing on the inside of his mouth. “Sure.”

Josh smiled before going around to the passenger side and opening the door for Tyler. Tyler gave him a shy little smile before getting in.

When Tyler gave him his address and they were on the road, Josh tried to make small talk.

“So you were homeschooled, right?”

“Yep.”

“For how long?”

Tyler was quiet for a moment or two, picking and pulling a thread on his jeans. “On and off for a few years.”  
Josh noticed how quiet Tyler was. He was always focusing on something else while talking and he hardly spoke louder than a whisper.

“Oh.” Josh drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “Do you like being homeschooled?”

“It’s okay. I’ve never been very good at making friends.”

Although it was obvious, the statement hurt Josh to hear. “Me neither.” After a moment of silence, he added, “I think you and I are friends though, right?”

Josh turned his head in time to see a small smile appear on Tyler’s lips, which was a wonderful sight. “Yeah, I think so,” he said.

“And I have some other friends I could introduce you to.”

“Oh. Maybe sometime.”

“Don’t worry, they’re really nice. They’ll like you.”

Tyler continued to fidget. “Are you sure?”  
“Of course. You’re cool.”

A moment of silence. “Why are you so nice to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I like you.”

Josh didn’t have to look at Tyler to know that he was smiling; he could hear it in his voice. “I like you too Josh.”

There was something special about the way Josh’s name sounded coming out of Tyler’s mouth. Josh wasn’t sure what it was but he liked it.

“Oh, turn right, and it’s the first house on the left,” Tyler said.

Josh pulled into Tyler’s driveway and put his car in park.

“If you ever need a ride again, let me know,” Josh said. Josh couldn’t explain why his heart sped up when he offered Tyler something as simple as a ride home.

“Thanks. See you later,” Tyler said as he stepped out of the car.

“Bye,” Josh said as Tyler shut the door.

Josh drove home with a smile.

 

-

 

“Joshua, why in God’s name did you receive detention? And why are you home late?” As expected, Josh’s mom was on him the second he came home.

“I skipped class.” Josh just couldn’t think of a lie.

“Why would you do that?”  
“I don’t know, mom. Because class is boring and sometimes high schoolers do that type of thing.”

“I’m not sure I like your tone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And why are you coming home late then?”

“I was bringing a friend home.”

“What friend?”  
Josh didn’t particularly like being interrogated. “His name is Tyler. He’s new.”

“Well you’ve been acting different lately, Joshua. And now you’ve received your first detention. You used to be such a sweet boy and if this new _friend_ has anything to do with your behavior lately, I think–”

“Mom, this wasn’t Tyler’s fault. Don’t blame him for my mistakes just because you refuse to accept that your son is changing.” Josh’s voice rose just a bit and he immediately regretted his harsh tone. His mother became dead silent and wouldn’t look Josh in the eyes.

“Give me your phone. You’re grounded for two weeks.”

Josh dug in his pocket and put his phone down on the table without another word. Josh went to his room and did his best not to slam the door, knowing it’d only upset his mom more.

Was it true? Was he not a ‘sweet boy’ any more? And how _did_ Tyler play into all of this? Sure, he was hoping to see Tyler when he skipped class, but ultimately the decision was his. So what the hell was wrong with him?

He felt less and less like himself. But when he was with that boy, that kid who he was inexplicably drawn to, he felt different. He felt _good._ There was something about Tyler that made Josh feel a little more put together.

 

The only regret Josh had from the day was not getting Tyler’s phone number. Not like he would be able to text him right now anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> typical teen & parent angst ya know


	5. chapter 5

Two weeks went by and Josh wasn’t grounded anymore. He hadn’t seen Tyler for a while, until one day something happened that would make sure Josh would be seeing a _lot_ more of Tyler.

 

“Kids, this is our new student, Tyler. Everyone please try and make him feel welcome,” the English teacher, Mrs. Black, announced.

 

Tyler looked smaller and more scared than ever. Josh watched him look at his feet, shuffling them around. He must have felt Josh staring, because he looked up to catch Josh’s eye. When they made eye contact, Tyler’s face lit up. Josh could practically see the tension draining from him, just from seeing a familiar face. Josh would be lying if he said that didn’t make his stomach tingle a little bit. Just a tiny little flicker of static somewhere deep within him that he could hardly recognize. It fizzled a little bit stronger the more Josh saw this boy.

 

Josh wasn’t sure what the feeling meant. It was unfamiliar and made him feel uneasy and he couldn’t understand what drew him so strongly to a complete stranger. But the feeling of looking at those big brown eyes was starting to become something Josh wanted to actively seek out, as cliché as it sounds. Something that started out as an uncomfortable, queasy feeling was slowly becoming something that Josh wanted to chase. And god dammit, he was going to make this boy his friend no matter what it took.

 

Tyler chose a spot next to Josh, and they exchanged a quick look. Before Josh could properly greet him, Mrs. Black was writing on the board, and class had begun.

 

Josh managed to catch Tyler on his way out of the classroom.

 

“Hey stranger,” he said. Smooth.

“Josh,” Tyler replied, as quiet as ever, even in a hallway full of loud teenagers. “Nice to have at least one familiar face here.”

“Are you full time now?”

“Yup.”

“And how are you feeling about that?”

Tyler shrugged, pulling on the strings of his backpack. “So so.”

“Just know you have a friend here, alright?”

Tyler nodded and smiled. It occurred to Josh that Tyler never really grinned, he always just gave a slight smile that left his actual level of happiness up to interpretation.

“I’m off to lunch,” Josh said. “How about you?”

“Lunch as well,” Tyler said.

“Perfect!” Josh said, offering a grin. Unlike Tyler, Josh had no shortage of smiles. That was just the kind of boy he was, especially when he was with Tyler.

 

And that’s how Tyler ended up sitting at Josh’s lunch table, being stared at by Pete and Brendon like he was some kind of museum exhibit. Patrick, of course, knew it was rude to stare.

“So you’re Tyler,” Brendon said slowly, examining him. “Huh. Pretty cute.”

Both Tyler and Josh nearly choked on their food at that. Tyler blushed.

“Oh, uh…” He was clearly at a loss for words, and Josh realized he needed to intervene.

“So, um, Patrick, how’s the new song coming?”

“It’s great, I just have to finish the guitar part and-”

“You know, Tyler, we’ve heard a lot about you,” Brendon said. And then he winked. Like literally, actually, winked. Tyler turned a rather brilliant shade of red and shoved a bite of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

“Ooooookay, Brendon, why don’t you, you know,” Josh lowered his voice a bit, “tone down the Brendon-ness? Like just for a sec?”

Tyler didn’t look up from his tray for the rest of the period.

 

Josh didn’t see Tyler again until the end of the day, when he saw him walking out of the building.

“Hey, Tyler. Listen, dude, I know Brendon’s weird, he’s like that with everyone. Seriously, sorry if he–”

“No, it’s fine,” Tyler said. “I’m just… shy. And he’s not. I don’t see us becoming close friends.”

Josh let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, Brendon hadn’t scared him off. “I’m sure you’ll get used to him. He’s a really great friend, honestly, he just… doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.”

Tyler hesitated. “Did you really talk about me?”

Somehow, Josh could tell that it was out of character to bring up a question that was pressing on his mind. He had to respect him for it.

And before he answered, the Tyler feeling was back. The one in his stomach. This time stronger and more uncomfortable and just slightly harder to bear.

“Uh… yeah.” Inevitably, Tyler’s next question would be ‘Why?’ so Josh decided to answer that as well. “I don’t know. You’re just… cool.”

Tyler chuckled a little bit, something he didn’t do often. “I’m cool?”

He knew that was Tyler’s way of asking if that was the real reason. And honestly, Josh had no idea.

“Yeah, and I wanna be your friend. You know.”

“I think you’re cool too.”

That was probably Josh’s favorite compliment he’d ever received.


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some tension and then some humor to break up the tension. Cue a ~subplot~

Days went by, and Josh really only saw Tyler during English and math. But that was enough for Josh to spend each night thinking about how to get closer to him. Josh couldn’t figure out why, but he was drawn to Tyler. He had been since the moment they locked eyes and the feeling had only grown stronger.

 

And then Josh finally got his first clue as to why Tyler was homeschooled for so long. Every student had to do individual book presentations in front of the whole class, and when it was Tyler’s turn, Josh noticed something was off. Tyler walked to the front of the classroom, shaking, and he spilled all his papers on the floor. He bent down to pick them up, and just sat on the floor for a few moments. An uncomfortable silence hung over the classroom as Tyler sat motionless except for the shaking in his hands.

 

Without so much as another word, Tyler got up and bolted from the classroom. Josh didn’t stick around to see what happened in class next. Without even thinking about it, Josh got up and ran after him.

 

If you asked him, Josh wouldn’t be able to tell you why he ran after Tyler. Tyler was barely his friend, and yet he followed Tyler without hesitation. He had this unbearable pull to make sure Tyler was okay and he was unable to resist it.

 

Tyler was already out of view when Josh got into the hallway, but somehow he knew where to go. He sprinted to the door that led to the courtyard near the history classroom. It was the first place they met.

 

When Josh flung the door open, Tyler was pacing back and forth with his hands on his head. His eyes were red and his cheeks were stained with tears. It was frigid outside and Tyler’s arms were covered with goosebumps. Tyler flung around in surprise when he heard the door open.

 

“God. What?” His words at Josh were biting. Josh stood there for a moment, shocked. He’d never heard that tone in Tyler’s voice.

“I, um…” Josh swallowed a lump in his throat. He could feel the cold air filling his lungs. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Tyler scoffed and kicked a mound of snow in front of him. “Did I ask for your help?”

Josh was stunned. Tyler didn’t seem like he had a mean bone in his body, and yet…

“Tyler, I--”

“You should probably go back to class.” Tyler’s voice cracked and he sniffed. “That’d be best for both of us.”

 

And so Josh did.

 

**

 

Tyler wasn’t at lunch, but Josh did notice something else strange.

Brendon was smiling like an idiot.

And if that wasn’t strange in itself, Josh kept feeling like he was being stared at, only to turn around that the pair of eyes weren’t on him – they were on Brendon. And whose eyes were they? Dallon Weekes.

 

“Um, Brendon,” Josh said, throwing a cheeto at him.

“Huh? What?” Brendon said, as if he’d been daydreaming.

“Why is Dallon Weekes staring at you?”

Brendon giggled. “I don’t know,” he said in a sing-song.

Josh sighed. “Something tells me you know.”

“Okay okay you got me!” Brendon practically squealed. “He’s totally into me.”

That even made Patrick pull out his headphones. “He’s what?”

“Yeah, isn’t he like, incredibly straight?” asked Pete.

“He’s like, big tall basketball jock guy,” said Patrick.

“Yeah, well, okay, he’s NOT straight, ‘cause he sent me a dick pic last night.”

Pete burst out laughing while Patrick choked on a french fry.

“Jesus Brendon!” Josh exclaimed.

“And that’s romantic?” Patrick wondered aloud.

“Why would he even do that?”

“Listen, you guys, it was… let me just say, it’s not a bad dick.”

That statement was followed by a collective groan from the other three guys at the table.

“Brendon. That so wasn’t the question.” Josh said. “How – why – a dick pic?!”

“Okay, so basically, he liked all my Instragram photos, and then he DM’d me, and was like ‘Hey, what’s your snap?’ and so we started Snapchatting, and he was like, ‘You’re gay right?’ and I was like ‘Uhhh yeah, why?’ and he was like ‘Cause you’re super fuckin hot lol’ and I was so confused, and,” Brendon paused for a huge breath, “then we sexted and sent each other nudes all night the end.”

“Brendon you fucking slut!” Pete shouted, followed by a glare from the lunch monitor.

Josh whistled. “Well you sure know how to reel ‘em in, Urie.”

 

 

After the brief distraction during lunch, Josh’s mind was on Tyler for the rest of the day. After the last bell rang, he rushed to his car, still replaying the events of that meeting with Tyler and wondering what he did wrong.

He quickly got into his car and flung his backpack into the passenger seat, and then he heard an ‘Oof!’

He snapped his head around and nearly passed out.

“TYLER?!” He shouted.

“Josh, hey, hey,” Tyler said, putting his hands out in front of him. “Don’t freak out.”

“Don’t freak out?! You broke into my car.”

“It was unlocked,” Tyler said, biting his lip.

“Yeah, okay, but you’re still in my car, dude,” Josh said, finally catching his breath after that near-death experience.

“Sorry for scaring you. I don’t have your phone number.”

Josh sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s fine. Just… what are you doing here? I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yeah. About that.” Tyler was fidgeting all over now, more than usual. Thick tension hung in the air and Josh could feel his heart thumping like crazy. “Look, I’m… I’m really sorry. The way I acted was out of hand.”

“Yeah,” Josh muttered, trying to keep himself from staring at Tyler.

Tyler took a deep breath, as if he was mentally convincing himself to keep going. “It’s just that… I hate when people see me when I get like that. And the last time I opened up to someone, they… Never mind. It just didn’t end well. And when you asked if I was okay, I just… freaked.”

“Tyler, I was just trying to be a friend. I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Josh ran his hand across the steering wheel.

Tyler nodded. “I know. I just haven’t really had a healthy friendship in a while and I guess I… I guess I forget what friends do.”

“Well, friends do get food together.” Josh glanced over at Tyler and he smiled a bit.

“That sounds fun.”

“Taco Bell?”

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy moly i havent written in months. i was suddenly overcome with ideas for this story and finally getting over months of writers block is literally the most magical experience. ive been literally unable to work on this but im sooo glad to be writing again omfg


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